Trackrod Historic Cup 2013

Edwards victorious in Yorkshire

Trackrod Pre-87 and Historic Cup Llandudno's Matt Edwards led from start to finish in what turned into a battle of youth against experience in two Escort RS1800s. Edwards, the 2010 BTRDA 1400cc champion, eventually made up for blowing the engine of the car on his debut in it in Dalby Forest 10 months ago by claiming a narrow victory over local favourite Steve Bannister. The evergreen Bannister, now 60-something but showing few signs of slowing down, won the event last year but struggled with an electrical fault on the opening leg and ran out of stages when attempting to make up the 30-second overnight deficit. Tim Pearcey overcame fuel starvation problems on Friday evening to climb into third place on the rally where, in 2007, he was airlifted to hospital with serious neck injuries – "I can still see the mark on the tree that I hit when we go through Staindale," quipped the Harrogate driver.